CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING TECHNIQUES

We all encounter difficult problems at both work and in our everyday life where the solutions aren't intuitively obvious. The following is a list of creative problem solving techniques recommended by some of the greatest behavioral psychologists and which have personally worked for me. They can be applied to a range of problems from how to fix a satellite to how to fix your dog:

1) The Way of the Whack - If you've ever whacked a soda machine, TV or computer when it didn't quite seem to work the way you wanted, you probably already know that this is one of the most tried, true and time-tested ways of solving problems. When you get stuck searching for the solution to a problem, simply whack yourself on the side of the head. You can use your hand for smaller problems and a 2x4 board for larger ones. The expression "That Smarts!" originally came from this problem solving technique and is proof that this technique can actually make you smarter.

2) Quiet Contemplation - This method involves merely sitting quietly and relaxed, preferably with your feet up on your desk and eyes closed, and contemplating possible solutions. Management sometimes doesn't fully understand the usefulness of this technique, so it is recommended to switch to other techniques if they refer to you as a "lazy dog", "pathetic excuse for a human" or "former employee" more than twice.

3) Free Association - This powerful method involves first writing words related to a problem and then freely listing any words which come to mind. For example, let's assume at about noon a vehicle goes undervoltage requiring an immediate solution. A typical free association list may look something like this:

List of related item s Free Associations

Electrical Power Subsystem - Lunchtime

Battery Voltages & Currents - German chocolate cake, Deep dish combo pizza with extra sauce

Vehicle Eclipse Orientation/Status- Bob Bons, mushroom cheeseburger with touch of garlic and

Possible starvation

You can probably now clearly see the strength of this problem solving technique.

4) Sensory Excitation - Sometimes additional sensory stimulation will trigger a creative solution to a problem. This stimulus can be in the form of almost anything including shopping for socks, traveling to Vacaville, or simply watching an old B-movie on TV while eating an extra large bag of cheese balls. This technique is frequently used by people who are self-employed because they realize the advantage that everything they do or buy can be tax deductible if they can somehow loosely relate it to their business. An opposite problem solving method, Sensory Deprivation, works on the principle that solutions to problems sometimes occur when you're hallucinating (although it has the disadvantage that you may wake up naked in the zoo like in the movie Altered States).

5) Sleep On It - Simply give yourself a subconscious request or two before you go to bed at night and you'll be almost sure to wake up with a solution in the morning. It's amazing how the subconscious mind can solve complex problems with only a suggestion. For example, tonight you may say to yourself, "I will wake up tomorrow with a cure for cancer and also understand how to program my VCR" and then simply write down the answers in the morning.

6) Don't Do a Dang Thing - Have you ever noticed that when you really try to think of an answer to a problem, for example someone's name or where you parked a car, it eludes you until after you stop consciously thinking about it? Sometimes the less you think about a problem, the faster the solution comes. So next time your manager catches you trashed at Bentleys before lunch, show your enthusiasm for this technique. When he or she asks why you're not at work when you're supposed to be working on some critical or pressing problem, say you're quite aware of the problem, but you're trying not to think about it. If your boss is familiar with this technique, he'll really appreciate your creative ingenuity and motivation.

7) Brute Force Method - This is a time-intensive, but effective, problem solving method. For example, let's say you need to know the number of legs a typical dog has. Extensive general research, for example reading the entire Library of Congress, will almost certainly yield the correct answer. Edison used a similar technique for discovering a suitable electric light filament. His records show that he tried thousands of materials from live earthworms to gasoline soaked ropes before discovering a material that worked.

8) Selective Use of Human Resources - There's usually at least one person you work with who seems to have an answer for everything (unfortunately this may also be a person you usually avoid). If you need to include his or her answer in a report, you really can't even change what you've been given because, although you know it's all correct, it's phrased with poly-syllabic verbiage that, for all you know, could be 15th century Swahili poetry. You then may have to grapple with the ethical issue of giving them full credit for your report.

9) Electrical Stimulation - This is one of the more controversial techniques since it involves electrical stimulation of the right cerebral cortex. A simple homemade version of the stimulating device involves simply glueing bare wires from an electrical cord to your shaved scalp. A portable version involves duct-taping an array of car batteries to your head. Remember it takes over about 40 volts to get a decent shock, so a step-up transformer can be used to increase the voltage for more serious or important problems. If you're fully committed to using this device, results sometimes come surprisingly fast since shocks have been a time proven motivational method.

10) Creative Courses - Many courses, although often expensive, are offered which provide a wide variety of creative problem solving techniques. I've taken several which have finally helped solve a couple problems I had. One problem was a shortage of money and the other a shortage of time. After the last creative problem solving class I took, I realized by using one of the techniques I learned that if I stopped taking these expensive classes then I'd have both more money and more free time. This was conclusive proof that creative problem solving classes do work.

11) Be Unconventional - If you dress and act unconventionally, you'll probably also think unconventionally and may even come up with some creative solutions. So for a starting point, you may want to get a nose-earring, dress up like Fred Flintstone, keep a live reptile in one pocket and lime jello in the other (ask Toph about jello in pockets), shave the left half of your body with a dull razor, and answer all comments or questions directed your way with random words starting with the letter "Q". If you still have your job after a couple days, you may have come up with some creative, unorthodox ideas; if not you might be able to get a job as a bartender at a punk-rock club.